of course you are but what kind of tree will you be the kind to hug or the kind to climb doesn't matter what you choose so long as you choose to be a tree that's kind make The Forest Part Of Your Story at a park near you find one to discover the forest.org what do we know we know that Spectrum mobile means amazing value for $15 each you get two lines with unlimited talk text Data Nationwide 5G Coast to Coast coverage speed boost it's just a lot of great stuff which is why I made this what is it
it's a prize wheel everything that's on it you get and you can spin it but you don't have to spin it because no matter where it lands you already get everything on it exactly no matter what you win oh so it's like a metaphor no just fun oh you know what let's just forget about the wheel I thought it was the coolest thing cuz you know everything you get is on it but I'm over you work really hard on it you should definitely spin it no I got four more classes after this they might want to spin it w
e all want you to spin it no come on no no spin the wheel spin the wheel spin the wheel spin the wheel get more with your mobile get Spectrum mobile you this you that you just $15 each for two lines of unlimited call click or visit a spectrum store today got some super you are loved you are valued you are resilient you got this you're there for them we're here for you find free care guides at aarp.org caregiving I'm Sharon tazwell here's your spectrum news in 90 President Biden hit the campaign
Trail Friday kicking off a busy week-long swing through Battleground States the president is hoping to keep the momentum going after a fiery State of the Union Address he spent part of the day in Pennsylvania before heading off to Georgia on Saturday folks our freedoms really are in the ballot this November Donald Trump with the magga Republicans are trying to take away our freedoms that's not an exaggeration a federal judge has upheld the president's humanitarian parole program the decision dis
missed a challenge from some Republican L States arguing the program created an economic burden on them the program allows up to 30,000 Asylum Seekers into the country each month the judge said eliminating the program would undercut a broader policy to encourage migrants to use preferred Pathways into the country the US is clearing its Fleet of osprey to fly again after a part failure led to the deaths of eight service members in a crash in November the accident led to a rare fleetwide grounding
of hundreds of ospr across the Marine Corps Air Force and navy officials said they address concerns over faulty Parts as well as new maintenance inspections and requirements those are headlines now let's go ahead and take a look at your weather on the ones and welcome in everybody I'm meteorologist Nate Harrington a very busy Friday out there across the central portion of the country the Deep South The Southern Plains dealing with heavy rainfall Gusty wind and the chances for some severe weathe
r and it looks like a busy weekend for both the coasts east and west coast as heav rain continues storm chances shifting East on Saturday wind cold air rain and snow in the Great Lakes in New England and also more rain and snow across the Mountain West we'll talk all about the weekend and into next week coming right [Music] up welcome to the big deal I'm Errol Lewis National political anchor at Spectrum news if you're joining us for the first time every Friday night we'll look at the biggest iss
ues affecting our country in this critical election year I'll be joined by my Spectrum news colleagues from around the nation to try and make sense of it all and also bring you the latest news from the campaign Trail we started out this week with the Supreme Court ruling that individual states are not allowed to keep former president Donald Trump off the ballot and then on super Tuesday Trump and President Joe Biden dominated primary races all around the country Nikki Haley ultimately suspended
her campaign and that kicks off an expected rematch between Trump and Biden in November last night Biden addressed the nation in his State of the Union speech and he repeatedly took on his predecessor our national political reporter Taylor polars has more they call it super Tuesday for a reason it was the week former president Donald Trump became the Republican party's presumptive nominee sweeping all but one state on super Tuesday Trump pushed out his remaining GOP rival Nikki Haley the former
United Nations Ambassador suspended her campaign on Wednesday but did not endorse Trump she instead called on him to earn the votes of Republicans and independents who did not back him or risk losing to President Joe Biden in November this is now his time for choosing with a trump Biden rematch Now set the current president went to Capitol Hill Thursday to deliver his annual State of the Union Address Biden didn't say Trump's name but he did mention his quote predecessor 13 times throughout a sp
eech that mixed policy with 2024 politics touching on Reproductive Rights the southern border Ukraine and Israel and Gaza and more freedom and democracy are under attack at both at home and overseas at the very same time Republicans tapped freshman Alabama Senator Katie Brit to respond contrasting the oldest ever president with the youngest Republican woman ever elected to the Senate who called Biden's speech what we saw was the performance of a permanent politician who has actually been in offi
ce for longer than I've been alive one thing was cl clear though President Biden just doesn't get it he's out of touch Biden and Trump are both campaigning in the Battleground state of Georgia this weekend a sign that the general election is in motion in Washington Taylor poers Spectrum news joining me now to break all of this down is a panel of my Spectrum colleagues ibeth Bru wall is an anchor for spectrum News 13 in Orlando Florida Susan ARB better is a political anchor for spectrum news 1 in
Albany New York thank you both for being here and uh eth let me start with you in his State of the Union Address did the president do a good job of selling himself for a second term uh there's International crises there's domestic challenges he touched on a whole lot of different things and one of the biggest talker right the common denominator and just about everybody I talk to about this is the president's age how did he come across I thought he came out feisty some say though it was feisty b
ut that it went too far me explain the moment that kind of took me back was that jab right at the the US Supreme Court Justices calling them out on abortion ruling and I mean I could feel like collectively people across the US just kind of gasping I had never seen anything like that but of course he checked off all the boxes for so many people on the Democratic side walking away but even some Republicans that I spoke to from um Florida area you know watching and said he for all this talk about h
is age showed a lot of Gusto remember he was grabbing somebody's cell phone right before he took about almost 10 minutes to walk into Chambers even myself sometimes hard to manipulate a cell phone he was able to manipulate grab people's cell phones take the pictures quite easily so that was impressive yeah whole lot of selfies going on there and Susan did you get a sense of what might be on Biden's uh wish list if you should get a second term oh yeah absolutely he gave uh some broad views uh for
example he addressed shrink flation with a Snickers bar which helps sort of to reframe the debate over the economy arrrow by blaming corporations and showing Americans that you know he sees what they see less in the package he also wants to raise the minimum tax on corporations and use the funds to help Working Families and reduce the deficit and uh he wants to propose an expanded tax credit which every child care Advocate says is critical okay so now um sticking with you Susan uh where do Nikk
i Haley's supporters go she dropped out of the race this week but did not endorse Donald Trump that raises the question of the thousands and thousands of people who voted for her what happens to them yeah absolutely if you are a college educated Suburban voter sort of in the mold of Ronald Reagan who abhor the isolationist position that the Trump Republican party is starting to espouse you either don't vote or you vote for Biden um then again there are those who for whom um foreign policy isn't
a big deal and you've mentioned that you know before uh this week Erol that it's not a big voting issue for some people and so you pull the lever for for Trump but I do think it's going to be very difficult for Trump to um to capture all of the Haley voters especially because it doesn't appear that that's top of mind for him he Beth on super Tuesday uh the uncommitted votes meaning votes for neither Biden uh nor Trump really made sizable percentage in some states I'm thinking of Michigan I'm thi
nking of Minnesota in particular on super Tuesday should the Biden team be worried about a loss of enthusiasm among Democrats yeah they really need to uh be laser focused on that let me tell you what I'm tracking in Florida I don't know if other folks know this but this is a big story for us and it's kind of a Telltale sign of how the Democratic party is T to regroup so the uh Florida Democratic party chair uh Nikki freed just let go suspended three County chairs in the State of Florida south Fl
orida we're talking Miami dat County Palm Beach and Franklin counties is the Democratic party recalibrating is that the kind of stuff that President Biden wants to hear when he goes into key States um like Florida it kind of makes you stop in your tracks and go okay how focus is the Democratic party on the national level but when they go into individual states so that's something else um to watch and one thing I want to add really quickly we need to talk more I think about Robert F Kennedy Jr in
dependent what's going on is he going to get any of these votes that don't want to look for Mr Biden that don't want to vote for Trump that to me is a really intriguing candidate well yeah in fact Susan that there that the third party candidacy is a a possibility that could depending on the states where they're active really make the difference in the Electoral College right absolutely it also depends on where uh Mr Kennedy comes down on some hot button issues that are motivating Democratic vote
rs including the Gaza campaign okay thank you very much Susan thank you ibeth we're not done just yet coming up next we will delve into an issue on the minds of many voters namely the economy you'll hear from one Floridian who is leaning on her community to put food on the table and then an economic expert will join me to break down the true state of the country's economy separating fact from fiction the big deal turns in 2 [Music] minutes Spectrum news plus news from A New Perspective dedicated
to refreshing storytelling and empowering communities Across the Nation with balanced reporting providing real context and in-depth coverage 24 hours a day here's a look at your forecast across the country local stories connecting communities we are Spectrum news plus streaming now on the Spectrum news app and free with your spectrum subscription sorry guys that took me for what is this well you know how our T-Mobile home internet can slow down uh-huh turns out walls can get in the way so I fix
ed it so instead of getting a spectrum internet which is fast and reliable 24/7 you got us internet that can be blocked by walls yes but I think I fixed it by Smashing a hole through our wall well technically walls yeah I might not want to go in the dining room don't settle for T-Mobile cell phone internet kids a natural this is why I don't leave the house get faster more reliable internet speeds with Spectrum when I never graduated from high school I realized I wanted to go back to school becau
se I didn't want to work these backbreaking jobs the rest of my life with the help of my father and having my son that was all the motivation that I needed to come back to school I felt accomplished made me feel that I could take on whatever challenges life throws at you find free adult education classes near you at finish your diploma.org when I was in fost care I never knew when I would have to move so I always had my suitcase ready to go then one day I was adopted my new parents opened their
hearts and home to me my parents cook my favorite breakfast for me every morning my parents take me on trips I never thought I would go on they gave me a home and an even better reason to use that suitcase my parents aren't perfect but they're perfect for me [Music] we're back with the big deal I'm Errol Lewis as we mentioned before the break last night President Biden talked up the growing US economy under his administration over the last three years the economy has defied recession forecasts b
ut polls are suggesting that it remains one of the most important issues for voters especially those who are frustrated over the growing cost of basic necessities including food Spectrum news Orlando reporter Jeff Allen spoke to one voter in this report by the time this truck rolled in there were already about 100 cars lined up waiting for what that truck is about to deliver some drivers lined up just after midnight it's a first come first serve food drive Amy Wilkins is in the fourth line of ca
rs from the front ready to wait as long as she needs to it's cold when you come in in morning time but then later on it gets warm Wilkins says with higher grocery prices she can no longer afford the food she needs I try to add up in my head how how much it costs for the groceries and whatever is there and I don't think I can take it I have to put it back Wilkins isn't alone second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida says searches for food assistance online have doubled in the last year so cost
of living is on the minds of many Central Floridians as we head into the 2024 election the economy got to gets better cuz the price are going up it's hard when you have a fixed income about two years ago Wilkins began coming to this twice monthly food drive at patmas Chapel in Apopka Church volunteers load up trunks full of several boxes of fresh produce frozen meat enough food for for a couple of weeks Arnell SMY says demand picked up during the pandemic and has only grown since when God said y
ou know when they were hungry we gave them food when they were thirsty we gave them something to drink and that's what we're trying to do here people are hungry people are thirsty we want to make sure that we're giving them uh Ample Ample opportunity to come through the line SMY says the church went from serving about 200 families to about 600 families most drivers here aren't picking up food for just themselves Wilkins shares her food with several other families even when I'm ready to deliver f
ood I'm like Amy you got to do this you know get up let's go they need it just as much as you need it wiin says because of health problems she could no longer work as a caretaker at a hospital but she never lost her urge to help others I care about people I try to help whoever need help friends that eat meat and stuff whatever meat I have I give it to them and whatever food I don't use I give it to them so it's a helping hand Wilkins now stocked up with food for her and some of her neighbors eno
ugh for about two weeks but with the fluctuating cost of gas it's still a struggle she can't do this forever she says prices need to come down so many time when I fill my car with gas $50 worth of gas and I have to make my runs to take food for other people you know I'm like God you got to send me a blessing today that blessing received her future uncertain without help in hands we won't make it in life in aapka in Orange County Jeff Allen Spectrum news veteran business journalist Caleb silver w
ho is the editor-in-chief of Investopedia joins me now with more on the role that the economy could play in the general election Caleb the president said during the State of the Union speech the recovery from the pandemic economically is the greatest story never told let's try and tell some of that story and let's start with the cost of living which is really what uh is bothering so many people um let's let's show the chart about uh inflation there's uh a pandemic that really led to uh a decline
in economic activity and if you look at that red line during the Trump years U there was one inflation rate and then it dipped and then it skyrocketed right after uh the height of the pandemic what was that all about yeah that was about the supply chain right we just couldn't get enough materials products to Consumers through the supply chain everything from toilet paper to semiconductors and that drove prices higher and then as the pandemic eased we did a lot of Revenge spending we started goi
ng out we started traveling a lot right we started spending on those Services those prices went way up so first it was Goods then it was services and inflation has come way down from those highs in July of 2022 9 plus per down to about 3.1% it's still Rising though that doesn't mean prices are going down it just means the rate of growth is slower so if prices are still high especially for the essentials and even the inflation rate comes down it doesn't uh happen evenly all around the country rig
ht where you just saw Central Florida they're in a different position than some other parts of the country right absolutely when you look around the country when you look where prices are high especially the High Cost of Living you're going to look at cities like Los Angeles like New York City like Phoenix San Diego even in Southern Florida if you look around for General lower cost of living that's the southeast that's parts of the Midwest and parts of the upper west but in general prices are hi
gh for food for shelter and for Insurance those prices just kept Rising year after year and so now perceptions of who's responsible and who has the best plan to turn all of this around really differs between Democrats and Republicans the recent polling finds that there's this partisan divide where Democrats see more positive news about inflation in the economy compared with Republicans Independents are somewhere in the middle but that Republican number is is startling why is Biden not given more
credit for what good things are happening well when you still are paying more every month for the essentials you're going to look to blame somebody now the Democrats do back Biden on most things and there has been a lot of job gains right we still have a very low unemployment rate we've had millions of jobs created almost all the way back from the pandemic across most sectors so those things are good and also wage gains which we haven't seen in a long time about 4.1% year-over-year if you're ma
king $75,000 and you're getting a 4% raise you're not feeling it as much as if you're making 250,000 so what is Biden doing he's talking about shrinkflation right he's talking about taxes on billionaires trying to make them pay their fair share he's trying to J Jin that up but he does get support from the unions which typically lean Democratic he supported the UAW on it strike that was successful UPS driver so he's getting the support there but not broadly speaking because the economy to a lot o
f people still feels like it's in low gear yeah and it really is startling because the unemployment numbers and looking at the broadest possible range you know well over like say 20 years or even 50 years uh it's at a very very low level uh there there are places where you can still see lots and lots of help wanted signs in part because I've got the graph right there it's it skyrocketed it's spiked of course during the pandemic but then look where it is now it's all the way down under 4% unemplo
yment yeah and the Federal Reserve our Central Bank considers full unemployment between three and a half and 4% there's full employment in this country and there's still 8 million plus jobs available so if you're looking for a job you're going to find it in healthcare you're going to find it in government you're going to find it in Health Services there's plenty of jobs out there and wages have grown but for a lot of people they just don't feel like they can make ends meet because prices while t
hey're not going up as much are still pretty high and are a lot higher than they were compared to 2019 okay thanks so much for coming by always good to see you thank you all right that was the first in a series of conversations we will have about the economy on the big deal as the general election gets closer throughout the year we're going to talk more in depth about housing and the workforce and much much more and we're not done just yet up next we will take a look at Donald Trump's busy legal
schedule and who he's considering to be his running mate stay with [Music] us an answer to one of society's biggest questions may be found in the youngest Minds does poverty impact a child's development their performance in school the hypothesis that mothers who have access to cash raise babies with stronger brain development the basis of the baby's first year study is really to understand whether providing economic support would change children's trajectories exploring your health budgeting fo
r brain development available on all your favorite [Music] devices [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] okay Dad 1 2 3 [Music] a you saved me dad are you okay I'm fine D your hero needs you now and AARP is here to help find the care guides you need at aarp.org [Music] caregiving I I don't remember how it started go to [Music] deathy our back and [Music] forth it always came back than Dad you probably don't remember what you told me that was perfect but I heard every [Music] [Laughter] [
Music] word [Music] we're back with the big deal and here are some things you need to know about the presidential race for the week ahead next Tuesday there's another set of primaries in Georgia Mississippi and Washington State and Hawaii will be holding its Republican caucus but the big deal this month is the start of Donald Trump's first criminal trial in New York on March 25th prosecutors have accused Trump of paying money to bury stories about extra marital Affairs during his 2016 presidenti
al run and then falsifying business records to hide those payments Spectrum news political reporter Ruben Jones joins me now from our Washington DC Bureau with more on that and so uh Ruben how long could this hush money criminal trial in New York City end up lasting yeah Errol this is expected to go about 6 weeks jury selection going to start on March 25th this is the first of President Trump's former president Donald Trump's four criminal prosecutions criminal trials that will get started this
hush money case uh is Trump is accused of falsifying internal records kept by his company to hide the nature of payments to his former lawyer Michael Cohen who paid porn actor uh stormmy Daniels $130,000 as part of an effort to uh d during Trump's 2016 campaign so uh this one if he is found guilty Errol uh he could face four years in prison okay that would obviously affect the presidential campaign and it's not the only criminal trial that he's facing Donald Trump has been indicted in Florida an
d in Georgia and in Washington DC when are though they going to basically go to trial yeah they all kind of fall in different parts here obviously that uh federal trial in DC has basically been put on hold because uh Trump's immunity claims have been uh brought up at the US Supreme Court they are going to uh take a look at that in April so that basically puts a delay on that trial uh you look at the case down in Georgia where Trump uh and 18 others are charged with illegally trying to overturn h
is uh loss to Biden in uh Georgia that trial date has not been set of course there's been a lot of attention on the district attorney Fanny Willis in that case down there and then the classified documents case that we have seen uh take place in Florida Trump is charged with uh legally uh retaining classified documents that one basically is a little unclear when that could start uh prosecutors are pushing for a start date of Summer his team is pushing for starting that after the election and so e
ven facing all of those charges Ruben Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee do we know who's on his short list to possibly become his vice presidential running mate so we starting to get some names arol I mean c candidates take a little different approach approaches on this sometimes sometimes they go with somebody who they have run against in the primary you think of Obama chose Biden Biden chose kamla Harris other times they choose another kind of rising star in the party uh Trump is sor
t of taking two different approaches he released a group of names that he would like to see as potential VPS recently Florida Governor Ronda santis Florida Congressman Byron Donalds former Hawaii congresswoman Tuli gabard South Dakota governor Christy gome former Republican presidential candidate the Swami uh as well as Senator Tim Scott down in South Carolina not on that list but two other names to keep in mind uh could be Texas governor Greg Abbott uh and New York congresswoman Elise stefanic
but it would not be a surprise if we hear another name multiple more names uh over the coming months here a trump senior advisor was on in an interview recently and basically said this list could get longer and don't expect a selection on a VP probably anytime soon okay that short list is maybe not so short as we thought thanks a lot Ruben that is going to do it for the big deal thanks so much for watching we'll see you next Friday night stay tuned to your local station for the latest headlines
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g to talk to you about physics come on in girls let's go this is the first rocket to get humans to Mars really tall I'm a rocket structural engineer designing and building parts of the rocket you are the generation that will be stepping foot on Mars do I have a group of astronauts on my hand yes you can become a rocket scientist or whatever else you want to be you see I cannot set you free my only days are gone that's why [Music] I'm bab here you go thank you thank [Music] you
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